The Green Bay Packers (6-8) will face the Carolina Panthers (2-12) on Sunday in a more exciting matchup than meets the eye. A Packers defense that people have scrutinized relentlessly in the past few weeks will face rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Green Bay’s defense must bounce back against last year’s No. 1 pick, who has a lot of raw talent and energy.
Carolina has had a disappointing season, considering they have no incentive to tank. They traded their first-round pick to the Chicago Bears to draft Young. However, Young has thrown for under 2,500 yards over a 14-game span, and his touchdown to interception ratio is even at nine.
But Young doesn’t have much help around him. Chuba Hubbard is a young prospect running back out of Oklahoma State, and his top receiver is a proven veteran in Adam Thielen.
So far this season, Thielen has 89 receptions for 870 yards and four touchdowns. Hubbard has 188 carries for 731 rushing yards, almost four yards per carry, and four touchdowns on the season. Those aren’t spectacular numbers, but they are promising for a veteran receiver and a young running back prospect.
The Panthers also have players with latent ability, like D.J. Chark and Terrace Marshall Jr. Both LSU receivers were massive playmakers in college. Marshall was one of Joe Burrow’s top targets during their 2019-2020 National Championship run, along with current NFL stars Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.
Carolina’s two wins this season came against the Houston Texans (15-13) in Week 8 and the Atlanta Falcons (9-7) in Week 15. The Panthers’ offense had under 300 yards of total offense in both contests. They had less than 250 yards in the Texans game, and Houston’s defense is not special. The Texans gave up 30 points and 347 total yards to Zach Wilson and the New York Jets in Week 15. So, if they struggled to move the ball against a mediocre Houston defense, the Packers should have no problem limiting Carolina’s offense in yardage and points.
Still, Young’s raw athletic talent and poise are the biggest threat to Green Bay’s defense. As a rookie, Young hasn’t proven himself yet in this league, but the plays he made weekly against those SEC defenses were jaw-dropping.
Young’s best game this season is likely Carolina’s Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions, where he threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions. But he was efficient, completing over 60% of his passes and helping the Carolina offense put up 24 points against Detroit’s stout defense.
Outside of that game, he has consistently put up minimal numbers in yardage, completions, and points. Young averaged 176 passing yards per game in the 12 other games he has started at quarterback, and Carolina’s offense has averaged just under 13 points scored per game.
But Carolina’s best game was against the Seattle Seahawks, when Young was inactive and Andy Dalton started at quarterback. They had nearly 400 yards of total offense and scored 27 points.
Carolina’s success rests on Young’s right arm this year. If he plays well, the Panthers will play well. If he plays poorly, the Panthers will play poorly. They just do not have a strong enough offensive line or running game to take the pressure off Young.
Therefore, Green Bay’s defense must neutralize Young. If they can send different blitz packages his way and fluster him mentally, he will make impulsive decisions on the field that will result in mistakes. Neutralize Young, and the game will belong to the Pack.
There are two ways that Carolina can put up points against the Packers. The first is if Green Bay’s defense self-destructs. If that happens, Joe Barry should be gone on Monday morning. The second way is if Jordan Love and Green Bay’s offense implode, and the Panthers defense scores points or puts their offense in position to score. Given how they played against the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s not out of the question.
Young and the Panthers will be a solid test for the defense, though. We’ll see if the aggressive nature that they opened the season with can carry over into this game and if they can handle raw, young talent.
